Xia Yunzhao was still trapped inside his heart-demon tribulation.
He had no idea what other people’s Nascent Soul heart-demon tribulations were like, but his definitely did not seem normal.
Bright spring scenery surrounded him. Willow branches were lush, warm wind brushed his face, and he stood beside an empty lake with a baffled expression. “This is my heart-demon tribulation? Then where’s the heart demon?”
Before the tribulation arrived, he had guessed what his heart demon might be. His obsession with returning home? Shang Shuangze? Apparently, neither guess had been right.
Just as he looked around, a figure appeared abruptly. It was deeply strange. It was not a real person at all, but a human shape drawn from simple lines, like a stick figure that had walked off a sheet of paper into this realistic landscape.
The figure had no facial features either. It walked up to Xia Yunzhao and made a fist-and-palm salute.
Xia Yunzhao stepped back warily. “What do you want? Are you the heart demon?”
The figure ignored him and began performing a palm technique. Xia Yunzhao recognized it at once. Wasn’t that Hundred-Form Palm?
After completing the set, the figure turned toward him and froze in place.
Xia Yunzhao could not understand what it meant. He asked tentatively, “You want me to do it too?”
The figure remained still.
Xia Yunzhao had no choice but to perform the same set.
The figure started moving again. After Hundred-Form Palm, it did not stop. It continued into additional movements. There were more forms after Hundred-Form Palm?
Xia Yunzhao immediately became interested and followed along.
He had no idea how long he practiced. Only at the end did he discover that this was actually a complete body-art system, and Hundred-Form Palm was merely one part of it.
Xia Yunzhao had the faint sense that this body art was extraordinary and somehow echoed Myriad Phenomena Return to Origin. When he completed the final movement, the figure’s lines shifted and formed three large characters in midair: Formless Art. Then it slowly disappeared.
Xia Yunzhao nodded. So this body art was called the Formless Art. From form to formlessness. It truly was an art that was easy to begin and difficult to master deeply.
Before he could finish reflecting, another line-drawn figure appeared. Tiny flames burned along its outline. Xia Yunzhao immediately had a guess, and sure enough, the figure began moving: Earthfire Art.
Earthfire Art was not a complete spell either. Xia Yunzhao followed all the way to the end, when earthfire surged upward into the heavens. This was actually a complete fire-control art encompassing both earthfire and heavenly fire!
He brought out the same determination he had once used for the gaokao and rapidly learned the entire art. The little figure disappeared again and transformed into several large characters: Nine-Heavens True-Flame Art.
By now, he had no idea how long he had spent inside the heart-demon tribulation. Only half of the spiritual power in his body remained. Then another little figure appeared. This time, it was the Diting Art.
Xia Yunzhao: “…”
Opportunities like this did not come twice. Gritting his teeth, he learned it!
Little figures appeared one after another. The Diting Art advanced into the Heaven-Hearing Void-Piercing Art, Little Cloud Rain advanced into the Nine-Heavens Cloud-Walking Art…
Xia Yunzhao was panting with exhaustion. After finally learning the advanced versions of every spell he already knew, he saw the little figure appear yet again, its featureless face silently staring at him.
Xia Yunzhao: “…”
He dropped onto the ground. “I’m not learning anymore! I’m tired! Are you treating me like a duck? This is force-feeding education. It isn’t scientific at all!”
The figure continued staring at him silently.
No matter what Xia Yunzhao said, he refused to stand. “Isn’t this supposed to be a heart-demon tribulation? Whose heart demon is like this? Is my heart demon a final-year exam-cram session?!”
The figure moved. It silently walked to the willow tree, broke off a tender switch, came back, raised its hand, and smack!
Xia Yunzhao: “…”
Xia Yunzhao sprang up and started running circles around the field. “Why are you hitting people now?!”
The figure chased him for a while. When it discovered that it could not catch him, one became two, two became four… Countless line figures appeared and surrounded Xia Yunzhao in the center.
Seeing that a full willow-switch beating was imminent, Xia Yunzhao hurriedly covered his head. “I’ll learn! I’ll learn, okay?!”
The figures disappeared one by one until only the original remained. It patted his head, clearly meaning: good boy.
Xia Yunzhao grumbled under his breath and continued accepting the force-fed education.
This heart-demon tribulation knew quite a lot. Spells, formations, talismans… it crammed everything into him, leaving him dizzy and nearly insensible. Worse, refusing was not an option.
In the end, he was so exhausted that he actually fell asleep. When he opened his eyes again, he stared blankly at the scene in front of him. He was back? The heart-demon tribulation was over?
So what exactly had that heart-demon tribulation been for…? Even Xia Yunzhao himself was confused.
Thunder rumbled outside the meditation chamber. Xia Yunzhao stood and walked out. Tribulation clouds rolled across the sky, purple lightning flickering within them without yet striking.
Shang Shuangze stood with his back to him, sword in one hand and the other behind his back, calmly looking up at the tribulation clouds. Mountain wind lifted his black hair and white robes.
Xia Yunzhao walked over and stood beside him.
Shang Shuangze turned his head slightly. “Awake?”
Xia Yunzhao looked up at the clouds as well. “Just woke up… Those clouds are really thick!”
Shang Shuangze took his hand. “Mm. It’s a two-person tribulation cloud, after all.”
Crack! The first bolt of heavenly lightning struck!
Shang Shuangze raised his sword to meet it. This was one of the most common ways sword cultivators crossed tribulations, using heavenly lightning to temper both sword intent and body.
Several more bolts fell immediately afterward, and Shang Shuangze received every one of them. The force of the lightning threw the surrounding spiritual energy into chaos. No one within a hundred li dared approach, and every cultivator in the Liancui Mountains withdrew. A few people who wanted to pick up benefits tried edging closer, only to be frightened back by the overwhelming tribulation clouds.
This Nascent Soul tribulation was terrifying. What sort of talent did the cultivator undergoing it possess for the Heavenly Dao to be so wary?
At the center of the tribulation clouds, Xia Yunzhao felt rather awkward. He had assumed that once he possessed the complete Myriad Phenomena Return to Origin, the power of creation within it would anger the Heavenly Dao. Unexpectedly, this tribulation was exactly like the last one. The lightning still refused to strike him.
More than thirty bolts in a row had all fallen on Shang Shuangze. Even a man made of iron would need a moment to breathe, right? One careless instant and Shang Shuangze was forced a step backward, qi and blood surging chaotically.
Xia Yunzhao hurriedly steadied him, glanced up at the tribulation clouds, and muttered, “You can’t bully just one person.”
A tiny arc of electricity curved sideways and snapped across the back of his hand. The force was exactly the same as when that willow switch had smacked him for refusing to study inside the heart-demon tribulation.
Xia Yunzhao had not been prepared for that move. Pain scrunched up his entire face, and he hissed long and hard.
Shang Shuangze rubbed his hand with obvious distress. “I’m fine. Tempering the body with heavenly lightning is an extremely rare opportunity. Don’t worry.”
Xia Yunzhao understood that too and reluctantly let go. He sat cross-legged instead. Just like during the previous tribulation, those tiny electrical arcs continued creeping toward him, carefully tempering his body bit by bit.
The heavenly lightning fell without pause. After an unknown amount of time, Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze closed their eyes at the same moment. Their Golden Cores emerged.
Purple lightning immediately struck the two Golden Cores. Cracks appeared in both at once. Nascent Souls emerged!
As though sensing something, the heavenly lightning abruptly accelerated. Thunder rolled without end across the entire mountain range.
At the foot of the mountain, the watching cultivators all held their breath. “How many bolts has it been? This can’t really be the nine-times-nine heavenly lightning tribulation, can it?”
“Seventy-nine!”
“Eighty, eighty-one! It’s over… Huh? Why is it still going?!”
“Isn’t eighty-one supposed to be the utmost number for a lightning tribulation? How can there be more?!”
Everyone instinctively looked toward Bu Yao. He smiled slightly. “Beyond the Nine Heavens lies another heaven. Eighty-one is not the highest limit of a lightning tribulation.”
The cultivators froze. “Senior, then how many bolts does the highest-level heavenly lightning tribulation have?”
Bu Yao pointed upward. “This is the highest realm of heavenly lightning, something rarely seen even once in ten thousand years. You are fortunate today. Watch carefully. One hundred and eight bolts.”
The lightning truly continued, each bolt thicker than the last. The final nine even carried brilliant purple radiance, their force so tremendous that every strike made the earth itself tremble!
Every cultivator present asked themselves the same question. Against lightning of that power, forget nine bolts. Could they survive even one?
At last, all one hundred and eight bolts ended. The tribulation clouds dispersed and spirit rain began to fall. The cultivators ignored everything else and hurriedly sat down to regulate their breathing. Some took out suitable magical artifacts to collect the rain. Spirit rain after a lightning tribulation was exceptionally pure, excellent material for refining both pills and artifacts, and could sell for a considerable sum.
Elsewhere, Xia Yunzhao hurriedly released Yun Yi and ordered him to bring out every pot, bowl, ladle, and basin at home to collect rainwater. Then the Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish flicked its tail, flew out of the pond, opened its mouth, and spat out a bubble. All the nearby spirit rain flew toward it and gathered inside. With another easy flick of its fins, it sent the bubble floating in front of Xia Yunzhao.
Xia Yunzhao was delighted. He grabbed the fish and kissed it hard. “Beautiful! Our Little Red really is the best!”
Little Red…
The Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish instantly turned to stone. Wait. Why Little Red? Wasn’t Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish a perfectly good name?
Xiao Qing, on the other hand, was delighted. After getting struck by heavenly lightning again, it was smoother and shinier than ever. It bounced over and pressed against the Crimson-Cloud Brocadefish. One Little Qing and one Little Red. They sounded like a family!
Xia Yunzhao took out a jade bottle and collected the spirit rain.
Shang Shuangze walked out of the cave dwelling. The tribulation had only just ended, and his robes had been ruined beyond saving by the lightning, so he had changed into a fresh set.
Xia Yunzhao heard him and turned around. Their gazes met, and both smiled.
From this day onward, they were Nascent Soul experts. So long as the Nascent Soul endured, the divine sense would not be extinguished. With a lifespan of a thousand years, they had stepped onto the road toward longevity.
* * *
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze remained in seclusion for a long time, but with the aid of the time formation, only three months passed outside.
When the two returned to the City Lord’s Residence, they immediately sensed that something was wrong. The residence was under lockdown. No, more accurately, all of Qingxi City was under heightened security.
Ordinary residents might not notice the difference, but Xia Yunzhao was the City Lord and now a Nascent Soul cultivator besides. Naturally, he could see the signs.
The two exchanged a glance and went inside. After turning a corner, they ran into Wei Xuening, who was hurrying out.
Wei Xuening froze when she saw them, then lit up. “City Lord! Senior Shang! You’re finally out of seclusion!”
Xia Yunzhao gestured for her not to panic. “What happened?”
Wei Xuening said, “Something huge happened!” She thought about it, then corrected herself. “It was huge, but now that the two of you are out, maybe it doesn’t count as that huge anymore.”
Xia Yunzhao was confused. “So what exactly happened?”
Wei Xuening said, “It’ll take more than a few sentences. Come with me. The Deputy City Lord and Elder Zhong are all there right now!”
Xia Yunzhao nodded and followed her with Shang Shuangze.
The Deputy City Lord she meant was Brother Xing. Ever since they returned from Duxu City, Xing Wenyu had managed all of Qingxi City in perfect order. Xia Yunzhao honestly felt he could not do it as well himself, so he immediately offered Xing the title of Deputy City Lord with both hands, terrified that Brother Xing might decide the trouble was not worth it and stop helping him one day.
What could Xing Wenyu do? He accepted. In truth, whether he officially held the title or not made little difference. Either way, he was doing the City Lord’s work.
The moment Xia Yunzhao entered the room, he found everyone there. Even Wei Ling and Wei Tu had returned.
On paper, Wei Ling and Wei Tu were Qingxi City’s Left Protectors, but Xia Yunzhao was a City Lord who had no need for personal protectors, so in practice they did Guard work too. When Xia Yunzhao returned from Duxu City earlier, the two had been absent because they were out on patrol.
The instant Wei Ling saw the two of them, she sprayed out a mouthful of tea. “F-Fellow Daoist Xia, how long has it been since I last saw you? How are you already at Nascent Soul? The next time I see you, are you going to have ascended?”
Xia Yunzhao laughed. “Ascending isn’t that easy. Right, what were you all discussing just now?”
Wei Ling’s expression immediately became serious. “A guard reported today that Qingxi City’s resources were robbed.”
Xia Yunzhao froze. “People can rob those too?”
Over the past year or more, Qingxi City’s territory had continued to expand. Many small cities and villages wanted to attach themselves to Qingxi City. Generally speaking, Xing Wenyu and Wei Ling’s group would send people to inspect them, and if there was no problem, they would accept them.
Qingxi City would protect their safety, but protection was not free. A certain portion of local resource output would be collected. At regular intervals, those resources were escorted by the Guard and delivered to the City Lord’s Residence warehouses.
The resources Wei Ling said had been robbed were exactly those tribute goods sent up by the subordinate settlements. Normally, almost no one dared touch such shipments. Robbing them was the equivalent of opposing Qingxi City on Qingxi City’s own territory, which required exceptional courage. Yet anyone powerful enough to do it would hardly care about that modest quantity of spirit items.
For that reason, although the Guard escorted these supplies, Qingxi City usually did not send many people. Other powers did the same.
Who could have expected anyone to rob them anyway? Xia Yunzhao’s confusion was completely justified.
Jing Ruyun, sitting nearby, added, “And it isn’t an isolated incident.” She handed over a jade slip.
After Xia Yunzhao examined it, his brows drew even tighter. Three shipments had been robbed. Every guard escorting them had been killed, leaving no survivors, so Qingxi City learned of the incidents very late. By the time investigators arrived, the scenes had already been cleaned and no traces remained.
He murmured, “Anyone capable of doing all that can’t be a small power…”
“That was our conclusion too,” Xing Wenyu said. “But none of the major powers nearby have shown any unusual movement.”
He looked toward Xiang Moyue.
Xiang Moyue was technically an outsider, yet somehow he was present too. He toyed with two Information-Gathering Bees in his hand. Seeing Xia Yunzhao look over, he smiled faintly. “City Lord Xia, would you like me to help gather intelligence?”
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment, then turned to Jing Ruyun. “Recall every guard currently patrolling outside. Distribute Voice-Transmission Conches, one to each squad. Especially the teams currently escorting resources. They absolutely must have one.”
Jing Ruyun nodded immediately.
Only then did Xia Yunzhao turn back to Xiang Moyue. “Fellow Daoist Xiang, please help gather information from throughout Qingxi City’s territory.”
Xiang Moyue paused, then quickly understood. “You’re worried they’re trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain?”
Xia Yunzhao nodded. “The more I think about this, the stranger it is. Those three shipments together aren’t worth that much. Rob them, and then Qingxi City hunts you down. Who makes a deal that loses money? But think about it another way. Everyone knows the Qingxi City Guard patrols throughout our territory. How do you make the guards too afraid to leave home?”
Everyone understood immediately. Jing Ruyun stood at once. “I’ll assemble the Guard now!” Wei Xuening went with her to help.
Xiang Moyue’s smile deepened. He flicked his fingers, and the two Information-Gathering Bees buzzed away to take over the Guard’s patrol work.
Xing Wenyu asked, “Could there be a traitor inside?”
Zhong Yundu rubbed his nose. “Impossible. I stamped the entire city with the Heart-Discernment Dharma Seal. Petty theft is one thing. If anyone actually wanted to harm Qingxi City, the city walls would be glowing red like lanterns by now.”
Everyone laughed. Zhong Yundu complained about the City Lord every day, but behind his back he never did less work than anyone else.
Xia Yunzhao laughed too. When the laughter faded, he asked, “Do we know which guards were killed?”
Everyone paused. Xing Wenyu sighed slightly. “Of course we do.” Worried Xia Yunzhao would blame himself, he added, “Don’t dwell on it. Every cultivator who joins the Guard knows the work is dangerous and prepares for that possibility. The compensation allotment was set by you personally, and it has already been distributed to their families in full.”
Xia Yunzhao nodded, then said, “Build a Hall of Heroic Spirits inside the city. Anyone who dies for Qingxi City can have a memorial tablet placed there, with incense kept burning. May they have a better birth in the next life.”
Everyone’s movements stopped. For a moment, no one answered.
Xia Yunzhao looked around in confusion. What did those expressions mean? Did people here not believe in reincarnation?
Only Shang Shuangze smiled. “Why not build the hall beside the City Lord’s Residence? The residents like coming to see the City Lord anyway. They can visit the heroic spirits while they’re here.”
Xia Yunzhao laughed, knowing Shang was teasing him, and began discussing with him how the hall should be built so it would be convenient.
The others exchanged glances and smiled too. Fine. They should have known long ago that this was the sort of person he was. Otherwise, why would they have stayed in Qingxi City?
* * *
On the third day after the Voice-Transmission Conches were distributed, the City Lord’s Residence received another transmission: another squad had been robbed!
Everyone, already prepared, set out immediately toward the squad’s location.
Xia Yunzhao and Shang Shuangze were Nascent Soul cultivators now. They no longer needed a flying magical artifact and could ride the void directly, moving like shooting stars.
They arrived first and found a group of black-robed, masked cultivators surrounding and attacking the Guard.
Yet when the two captured those black-robed cultivators, they discovered they were all puppets, not living people, and carried no identifying marks whatsoever.
“How is it? Are you all right?” Xia Yunzhao frowned, tossed the puppet aside, helped up an injured team captain, and casually stuffed a pill into his hand.
The team captain swallowed the pill with great care, then said urgently, “City Lord, I sent the transmission too late. These puppets were being controlled by someone. I let that person escape. Please punish me!”
Xia Yunzhao patted his shoulder. “Why would I punish you? These puppets are all early Golden Core. Whoever controlled them must be mid or late Golden Core. You managed to keep yourself alive, protect your brothers, and find an opening to send us a transmission. That’s merit, not failure. I’ll request rewards for all of you when we get back.”
The captain sniffed, then grinned. “Then thank you, City Lord!” Behind him, the other guards laughed too and shouted, “Thank you, City Lord!”
At that moment, the others finally arrived. The blood-red eye on Zhong Yundu’s black saber had opened. He thrust the weapon into the ground, and the lingering malice made him frown slightly. “Whoever did this hates us enough to want us dead. They definitely aren’t doing it for resources.”
Wei Ling clenched her fist hard. “These cockroaches run pretty fast! They’re out in the open while we’re in the dark. We can’t keep going like this!”
Xia Yunzhao thought for a moment, then asked Xiang Moyue, “Fellow Daoist Xiang, any news?”
Xiang Moyue shook his head slightly, then said, “There have been a few unusual things, but they probably aren’t related…”
Xia Yunzhao said calmly, “Tell me. I’ll decide whether they’re related.”
Xiang Moyue raised an eyebrow. This version of Xia Yunzhao was rare enough to be interesting. He wanted to tease him, but knew the timing was wrong, so he put away his usual lazy frivolity and said, “Several villages within Qingxi City’s territory have moved away. Most were far from Qingxi City itself and had small populations. No one knows where they went. But every move happened within the past three months.”
“Moved away…” Xia Yunzhao frowned in thought, raised one hand, and pressed downward. A map appeared. It was a map of Qingxi City’s territory. “Fellow Daoist Xiang, can you mark the villages that moved?”
Xiang Moyue readily agreed and circled several locations.
Everyone gathered around. Merely hearing about it had not made the pattern obvious, but once they saw it on the map, the number was startling. Nine villages had moved, scattered in every direction: east, south, west, and north.
Xia Yunzhao stared at the map as the formation knowledge force-fed into him during the “heart-demon tribulation” began turning rapidly in his mind. After a long moment, his expression changed. “This is bad! Puppet City!”